Chapter Text
Living in space wasn't as bad as Bruce thought it would be. Sure there were some downsides, a lot actually considering he was sharing roughly one hundred and eleven thousand square feet with three hundred and sixty two people. Still there weren’t as many problems as he thought there were going to be.
It was sad how much of Asgards population had been lost. He wanted to ask for a specific number just to satisfy his own curiosity, however it would be incredibly insensitive to do especially so soon. With an entire realm destroyed though, he knew it had to be thousands if not more. Outside of the Golden City there were probably dozens of villages he was unaware of with who knew how many lives within them.
Life. Bruce sighed and opened his eyes from where he’d been trying to relax. It was a simple concept that he now had even more to learn about in his lifetime, however long that may be. Of course, he'd known there were other forms of life beyond earth, but it wasn’t something he’d ever gotten to truly explore yet and not because of other work.
The Asgardian gods were the first contact he had ever had with life beyond earth, and between the two of them it was impossible to gather any data past what he could observe from a distance. Thor was always coming and going without much warning, making it difficult to pin him down for more than casual conversation let alone an in-depth discussion. Loki would have been even more difficult considering the guy had been kind of focused on taking over the planet, therefore he was not someone he’d wanted to get up close enough to for a blood sample. So in the end Bruce had just never had the opportunity to sit down for a basic discussion of anatomy or basic physiology.
Psychology was another field that he wanted to see explored about all of his shipmates. Everyone from the Asgardians to the few rogues left over from Sakaar that hadn’t died during the fight against Hela. He would never be suited for that role, but it would be an important topic to cover and an interesting one to read. Granted they’d have to take into the count the trauma of war. Briefly Bruce wondered if the Asgardians had psychologists.
In the current situation Bruce had easily accepted he was one of the different life forms than the majority. He was the only human after all. An odd one due to the Hulk but still. If anyone were to study Midgardians, as Thor always referenced him to the people onboard, he wasn’t sure he was the best candidate.
Bruce stared out at the black, endless expanse with stars speeding past him. Only an unknown thickness of what he assumed was glass separated him from something bigger than life itself. He thought about all the unexplored possibilities even his own mind couldn’t come up with. However he wasn't an astronaut, so the thought left him feeling a little stressed. Specifically, when it was a reality he was in. On a ship. In the unknown depths of space.
Breathing out calmly Bruce counted to five. It was exposure therapy. If he was living in space for the indefinite future he needed to get used to it without freaking out. So far he thought he was doing pretty good. He hadn’t Hulked out since coming back around and he wasn’t held up in a room with a blanket over the window so he could pretend to be somewhere else entirely. Small wins.
Part of Bruce wanted to blame the lingering distress on Sakaar. It was probably the least desirable place he could have ever ended up in. A dramatic thought he acknowledged since millions of planets were uninhabitable and would therefore kill him outright, whether it be from the environment or creatures that existed on it. The Statesman was safe though and there was someone he actually knew. Mostly.
Thor was the only thing that was left to ground him with any form of comfort. Something he desperately needed. He hadn’t expressed as much to the god, but they were together often enough that it wasn’t an issue. In some ways it felt kind of wrong to create such an emotional attachment, especially one unknown to the other party. As long as he kept it to himself though and recognized the dependence he felt Bruce figured it was fine. All he had to do was make sure it never got in the way of anything, which so far it hadn’t.
It was even more pronounced here amongst his people that Thor had his responsibilities. He was frequently moving around, but after a few weeks now of getting things in order it seemed to be more socializing than actual duties. Bruce figured comforting and reassuring your community was just as important as the official stuff, especially during such turmoil. Just because he was confident in going to Earth didn’t mean everyone else felt the same.
No one had protested Thor’s decision. Actually they trusted his judgment with all the faith and loyalty that should be bestowed to a King. However there were questions. Numerous ones as a matter of fact. At the moment they weren’t a priority, but he knew sooner or later he’d be giving Earth lessons. It was going to be interesting.
Hearing footsteps Bruce smiled a little. Very few people came to the front deck after they’d turned off the lights for their makeshift night. It was always either Thor, Valkyrie, Hemidall, Loki or Lyria who was an Asgardian elder of philosophy. The King knew his routine though and oftentimes they spent about an hour in lazy conversation or silence. Comfort he didn’t know he was providing.
“How are you this evening my friend?” Thor asked from beside him.
Bruce opened his eyes, not having noticed they’d fallen shut again, and looked up at the god who was highlighted in the dim safety lights that always stayed on. It was shortly after having set out for Earth that they all decided to establish a schedule to provide a sense of familiarity for both the body and mind. Which meant the illusion of day and night. Lights went out at a certain time. Meals were served on a set schedule. Order was good.
“Good,” Bruce answered, cracking his neck and finally relaxing out of his continued attempt to feel entirely confident where he was. “How were the people today?”
Thor grimaced, lowering himself onto the floor beside him and leaned back on his hands. Sometimes Bruce got the distinct impression that the god didn’t particularly enjoy the role of King. The stress was always clearly visible when he wasn’t surrounded by a crowd.
“They worry still,” Thor admitted, dropping his head back tiredly. “They want answers I can’t give them yet. Some understand this, but many are consumed by sorrow longing for their homes.”
Bruce nodded in understanding. It was an expected and valid response from people having suffered such trauma. What they wanted was what they knew. The good things that had brought them happiness before the bad.
“We are going to search the ships' onboard maps again tomorrow,” Thor told him, his one blue eye glancing at him full of hope. “I’m sure one will finally provide us the information needed.”
One of their biggest problems at the moment was the fact they had no clear path home. The only thing they had to go off of was Heimdall’s gaze giving them a general direction, which didn’t help at all with giving them an estimated time of arrival. Apparently, the ship the Statesman mostly held maps of the Andromeda Galaxy. Something that he planned to document the hell out of as soon as he found paper.
None of this would have even been a problem if the destruction of Asgard hadn’t basically kicked them out of the Nine Realms as they had tried to explain to him. A concept he was still working on grasping. The idea of Thor’s world, which he had seen, existing on a metaphysical plane separate from the rest of the universe? It gave him a headache to think about.
“Are you going to sit with us again?” Thor asked, leaning closer to him even though he was facing the window.
Bruce eyed the distance between them curiously like always. Thor had always had little to no concept of personal space, but recently it’d become much more subtle than the shameless tactile behavior he was familiar with. While he didn’t know exactly what it meant, he assumed it was just the result of a growing friendship.
Denying how the two of them were becoming close friends would have been difficult if he would have wanted to argue it with anyone. Sure, they’d been friends before, but now sometimes it felt like they were taking the next step. Leveling up. Bruce wasn’t sure he wanted to say they were becoming best friends since there was still a whole hell of a lot he personally hadn’t shared, but they were becoming something more. It was kind of nice.
“Yeah, I guess,” he answered, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his crossed legs. “If we got nothing though I’m out so I can calm down. Without a map we are the definition of screwed.”
“As I’ve said my friend, fear not,” Thor said, probably trying to sound cheerful but missing it by a mile. “We have ways. Heimdall and Loki will figure it out. Worst case scenario we have to detour to a planet that can provide us aid.”
For more than one reason Bruce completely ignored those claims. Magic. More planets. Loki in charge. Yeah he didn’t want to think about any of that. Those things existed and happened, but it didn’t mean he trusted them or understood them. Yet. Thor insisted he would with time. He, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure.
Falling into silence, trying to avoid thinking about all the complicated stuff, Bruce ran a hand through his hair. It was hard to shut his brain off once it got going, but he was doing his damndest. Usually, he threw himself into solving whatever problem needed solved, except these were problems he had absolutely no resources or ability to solve. At least not right now.
Sadly there was little else to occupy his time with. Korg could talk for hours if he engaged with him and there was always the option of letting himself be prodded at for all the interested Asgardians. Something that was actually growing a bit more tempting day after day. Maybe he should consider starting his lessons on Earth sooner rather than later.
“What do you think about me going ahead and starting to teach everyone about Earth?” Bruce asked, turning his attention to his friend.
“I’m not sure that’s wise,” Thor said slowly, scratching his chin that was nearing a beard instead of just stubble. “I know you are bored, but…”
“Nah, it’s okay I get it,” he waved off quickly, having known it was a bad idea before he even said it. “You’re right, I’m just bored.”
“How about you join me on my rounds tomorrow?” Thor offered cheerfully, with a bit of excitement in his voice. “Perhaps you will make some friends. Brunnhilde and Korg are a bit intense for constant companionship.”
Bruce snorted. Understatement. However he wasn’t so sure about making friends. Even on Earth he didn’t really have them. Mostly out of choice. Self-isolation. If it’d been up to him he’d still be buried in the depths of Asia helping people that needed it.
“I don’t know,” Bruce said awkwardly.
“Come on,” Thor encouraged, sitting upright. “You can really get to know the people! It will be a nice change for everyone!”
“I don’t need more friends,” he told him, giving him a pointed look.
“Many of our friends are lost to us, no matter the reason for their absence at this time. We are never replacing them, but there is always room for more,” Thor told him softly, laying an arm across his shoulders.
Instead of shrugging the gods arm off him like he used to, Bruce sagged under its weight. Thor took the movement as an invitation, just like always, to let his hand curl around his upper arm. It was a half hug that he found himself enjoying. If he let himself, he would probably rest his head on the guy's shoulder in return. The action sounded a little too intimate though, so he resisted the temptation.
Sometimes Bruce questioned how much overthinking he did. Surely Thor wouldn’t think anything of the action considering how much he enjoyed touching people, but it didn’t stop him from worrying about giving off the wrong message. He didn’t know much about the god's personal life, however it still felt like a precaution he needed to take. The Asgardians were an unknown culture so there were risks to be had about look cuddly with another male. While friendly in their eyes, it could always be misread by others.
“Okay,” Bruce finally said after a few minutes of silence where he focused on pushing Tony and Natasha out of his mind. “Alright.”
“Alright?” Thor repeated, sounding confused and letting his arm drop away.
“I want to get to know your people, I guess,” Bruce clarified for him, and he laughed at how bright Thor’s face lit up when it registered with him. “What?”
“Nothing,” Thor smiled, his blue eye shining with an unfamiliar spark that had nothing to do with lighting. “Asgard is rich with culture and the right people I think will be excited to share with you bits of our home…who we are.”
Thor corrected his words as he spoke, still training himself to talk of Asgard as a people instead of a place. It was no doubt a hard habit to break when you’d known something as a place and referenced it as such for over a thousand years. Bruce sympathized with his struggle.
“We start after our morning meal?” Thor asked, his tone a little less sad than it had been when he had said the last three words.
“Whatever you say,” Bruce shrugged, because after they ate breakfast together, he usually just went back into the kitchen to help clean up the mess of military style packaging that got tossed around while setting them out. “You’re the King.”
“Yes I needed the reminder,” Thor muttered, lying down completely onto the floor. “Lay with me?”
Patting the spot where his back would lay, Thor didn’t even bother opening his eye to see how he would respond. Actually Bruce didn’t even know why he bothered to ask at all anymore since it was always the same. Everything was always the same. He wasn’t sure any of them were ever going to break out of this repetitive boring routine they’d set into place, but laying down beside the god he knew that this was at least the highlight of the day.
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“...and I said mate, you’ve got to take it and stab it. Stab it like it’s a bloody snofflegout on an inffal,” Korg said passionately, demonstrating stabbing something quite large considering he used both his hands around the nonexistent weapon he’d deciphered was a type of sword. “You don’t let it up either, you just stab harder.”
Bruce rubbed his temples. Korg had more stories to tell than anyone he’d ever known and definitely was the most enthusiastic storyteller. In another situation it would have been nice, but the tales made little sense to him though since he didn’t always know what the items or creatures, he spoke of were. Unfortunately, the Kronan was unaware of Earth items and animals so he wasn’t able to reference anything that would aid him visually, which left him in a state of frustration. When Thor was around he helped translate things easily enough, however this morning the man was missing.
Go figure the day they decide to do something different, and he didn’t escape back into the kitchen away from story time, Thor chose not to show up. Bruce hadn’t seen him anywhere in the dining hall all morning much to his own irritation. Maybe it was disappointment that was making the usually mostly bearable experience more annoying than normal.
“Bruce!” Thor’s voice came across the room loudly just as Korg went to start the next part of his tale.
Bruce stood up before he registered it because he was saved . He liked Korg, he really did, but he was only allowed so much tea considering they were living off rations and he needed a lot more to handle the Kronan endlessly. So it was an amazing relief to see the blond heading towards him. Until he realized Thor was moving very quickly with a worried look in his eye.
“Heya Thor!” Korg called, seeing the Asgardian approaching.
“Later my friend!” Thor called back, grabbing him by the arm without pause and practically dragging him away. “I have a good story to share tonight! Loki and I, and the greatest hunt in Alfheim!”
“Later mates!” Korg responded cheerfully, but he continued his tale to the poor people that had been a few seats down from them anyways.
“Thor what’s going on?” Bruce asked with concern, as they began weaving around people until they got out of the room.
“Nothing, nothing,” Thor assured him poorly with a false smile, waving him along impatiently. “Just excited for you to meet everyone more directly.”
Bruce frowned as the god encouraged him to practically run down the hallway to where many of the Asgardians gathered to mingle during the day and to escape their rooms. It was essentially the common area. He didn’t like casually venturing into it because he knew there were other magic users besides Loki onboard, some of which were children. Children liked to play pranks and it would be his luck one would choose him as their target. Hello Hulk.
“You can be late, it’s fine, but you can’t do this,” Bruce told him sternly, coming to an abrupt halt around the corner just outside the common area which caused Thor to slam into the back of him. “...and if you want to add working out to the schedule, hell I’m open to it, but you can’t just do that. Were you trying to stress me out?”
Thor exhaled heavily when he turned around and Bruce was taken off guard when the god dropped his forehead forward onto his shoulder. Pushing his glasses up his nose from where they’d slipped down when practically running, he frowned deeper. Something seemed wrong, but he didn’t know what.
“Are you okay?” Bruce asked, eyebrows drawn together.
“You’re right my friend,” Thor said into his collar bone, straightening up and rolling his shoulders clearly trying to not look so tense. “I apologize. I didn't mean to worry you my friend, but I…”
“Really it’s fine,” Bruce insisted, rubbing subconsciously where Thor’s breath had seeped through the fibers of his oversized tunic.
At least it was being called a tunic. The Statesman had contained a fair bit of cargo when it’d been taken and thankfully some of that had consisted of fabric. Considering basically everyone only got off Asgard with the clothes on their back at the time, the Asgardians who knew how to make clothes had jumped on the supplies. Now everyone had at least one change of shirt and pants that, thanks to magic, fit pretty well.
Groaning, Thor dragged a large hand down his face before wiping it on his gray shirt. He decided against asking what was wrong again, even when the god peeked around the corner they’d just turned as if watching for someone. Who the hell would he be running from? Loki Bruce’s mind supplied. The other god almost never left his personal room though, so that seemed unlikely.
“Are you ever going to shave?” Bruce asked randomly, wondering if a distraction would help his friend.
Thor ran a hand through the hair on his chin and raised his eyebrows in surprise as if he hadn’t even noticed it growing. Being a King must really really stress a guy out if you managed to forget what was happening on your own face. Bruce did not envy him for a single second. He would never want to be in charge of anything like that.
“Maybe,” Thor said before grinning at him. “Does it not look good? I’ve been told I look quite the woodsman in this state.”
Bruce opened and closed his mouth, unprepared for the question. He cleared his throat, looking away to decide on his answer. Of course Thor looked good. Actually he didn’t think there was anything that the guy could not make look good. It was always sold through his personality and charisma.
“You always look good,” Bruce admitted when he found his mental footing, because friends didn’t find their friends physically arousing. “Leave the inflated ego to Tony. It doesn’t suit you.”
“You’d think differently if you had known a younger me I’m afraid,” Thor confessed, obviously disappointed in his past self but then it was followed by a hint of playfulness that was refreshing. “I was much worse than Stark.”
Bruce rolled his eyes. He believed the two might have been evenly matched, but he didn’t really care. Thor didn’t seem to be like that anymore as far as he knew, not that it mattered since he was free to act however, he wanted. Thinking about it though he couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen the god soaking up fame greedily. Years for sure. If ever actually.
“So are you going to have everyone teach me about Asgard now or…” Bruce started, gesturing out towards everyone with one hand wanting to move past the topic.
“Ah of course,” Thor said, visibly shaking himself. “I want to introduce you to Jalla and Mayth first.”
“Jalla and Mayth?” Bruce repeated, getting familiar with the names. “Okay. Why them?”
“The couple have a daughter that rivals your intelligence, yes believe me not,” Thor teased lightly. “...but she has a gift I wish for you to see.”
“A gift?” Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes at the blond.
“Indeed,” Thor said, gesturing for him to follow as he began walking casually. “You will see.”
The words sounded like a riddle the way he spoke them, and Bruce wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy riddles, but it sounded like magic. He should have guessed he couldn’t avoid discussing that when meeting the people. Thor knew his feelings on the subject though so what could he possibly be wanting him to see that he thought would be enough to pique his interest?
“I’m going to regret this, aren't I?” Bruce asked rhetorically, following Thor along the natural paths people made when they sat on the ground to converse with one another as if they were in a park.
Watching where he was stepping more than what was in front of him, Bruce continued after the god dutifully as he made sure he didn’t get any accidental fingers under his shoes. He didn’t know why they weren’t starting with people on the outside of the room, but Thor surely had his reasons. Just whether or not he enjoyed the first Asgardian lesson was going to be another story.
Bruce swore under his breath. He had to keep an open mind and not let previous conceptions cloud his judgment. How many things in his life had already been proven wrong? What had come to be that he hadn’t thought possible? Maybe they were healers. The Asgardian equivalent of medical doctors. Some of that magic would be the easiest to validate with science as he knew it.
Thor came to a stop beside what looked to be a family. Four adults sat beside one another talking, while another who looked like a teenager tossed something up in the air and caught it, and three children played with some of the toys Bruce had seen some people constructing with spare cargo supplies. Two of the adults had black hair along with one of the children. The others had light brown hair. Except for one of the young boys whose hair was blond.
“Jalla, Mayth,” Thor spoke kindly, the dark-haired man and woman hurrying to stand when they heard him. “This is the Midgardian, my good friend Dr. Bruce Banner. Bruce, this is Jalla, Mayth and their daughter Jorma. She is Asgard’s new Seer. Only one is ever born at a time, and these two were gifted with the honor of giving her life.”
“A seer? As in…” Bruce started and trailed off, hardly believing what was just said because of course he had to meet the most out there idea possible first.
“As in I am a guidance from the Norns themselves,” the child who was apparently Jorma popped up from where she’d been playing and spoke cheerfully. “A worldly messenger to aid all of our futures, should you seek it!”
Bruce nearly stepped back in shock seeing the girl's light blue eyes. She had no irises or pupil’s, there was just pure uninterrupted color. It reminded him a bit of the freaky movies where the monster's eyes glowed red. Thor really could have given him a heads up about that part. If he had he wasn’t sure he would be in front of the family that was smiling at him like everything was completely normal. The god probably knew that though.
Taking a calming breath, Bruce greeted the family as normally as he found himself capable of. The whole time he could feel Thor’s gaze burning onto his cheek. He had no idea what that was about, but he wasn’t going to be rude to people that so far appeared kind. Instead, he would glare at the man, maybe even find a satisfying revenge for taking him so off guard, later.